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Iraq Arrests 24 People for Promoting Banned Baath Party

Security forces are seen at Baghdad's Tahrir square. (dpa)
Security forces are seen at Baghdad's Tahrir square. (dpa)
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Iraq Arrests 24 People for Promoting Banned Baath Party

Security forces are seen at Baghdad's Tahrir square. (dpa)
Security forces are seen at Baghdad's Tahrir square. (dpa)

Iraq’s national security agency announced on Tuesday the arrest of 24 people for promoting the dissolved Baath party.

In a statement, the agency said it had carried out a widescale campaign in various regions after receiving accurate intelligence information about people promoting the banned party.

In Kirkuk, intelligence efforts and tips from citizens led to the arrest of 13 people for belonging to and promoting the party, it added.

The campaign also included the al-Anbar, Baghdad, Karbala and Nineveh provinces.

Eleven people were arrested in a matter of hours, continued the agency.

Some individuals had recorded videos of themselves in which they glorified the former regime, while others have been accused of putting up posters in support of the Baath in public places.

The arrests were made in line with judicial orders and the law related to the ban of the party, stressed the agency.

All the detainees have been referred to the judiciary.

The constitution banned former ruler Saddam Hussein’s Baath party in 2005 and in 2016, the parliament ratified a law that criminalizes membership in and the promotion of the party.

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Tunisian Court Jails Prominent Opposition Lawyer

 Tunisian lawyer Sonia Dahmani (social media)
 Tunisian lawyer Sonia Dahmani (social media)
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Tunisian Court Jails Prominent Opposition Lawyer

 Tunisian lawyer Sonia Dahmani (social media)
 Tunisian lawyer Sonia Dahmani (social media)

A Tunisian court on Saturday sentenced Sonia Dahmani, a prominent Tunisian lawyer known for her criticism of President Kais Saied, to one year in prison.
The court ruling reinforces opposition concerns that critical voices will continue to be targeted ahead of a presidential election on Oct. 6.
“The one-year prison sentence is unjust and confirms the targeting of free speech,” Dahmani's lawyer Sami Ben Ghazi told Reuters.
Dahmani was arrested in May after appearing on a television program in which she said Tunisia is a country where life is not pleasant.
Lotfi Mraihi, leader of the opposition Republican Union Party, who has announced his intention to run in the presidential election, was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of money laundering.
Opposition parties, many of whose leaders are in prison, have accused Saied's government of exerting pressure on the judiciary to target his election rivals.
They say fair and credible elections cannot be held unless imprisoned politicians are released and the media is allowed to operate without pressure from the government.
On Friday, the Journalists Syndicate branch of the official news agency complained that a report about Mondher Znaidi announcing his candidature for Tunisia’s presidential election, was removed from the news bulletin. The Syndicate also complained about a decision not to cover a press conference held by the Free Constitutional Party.
Abir Moussi, the leader of the Free Constitutional Party and a prominent candidate, has been in prison since October 2023 on charges of harming public security.
Some potential candidates, including Safi Saeed, Mondher Znaidi, Nizar Chaari and Abd Ellatif Mekki, are facing prosecution for alleged crimes such as fraud and money laundering.
Saied, a retired law professor who was elected president in 2019, has not officially announced his candidacy to stand for a second term. Last year he said he will not hand power to what he called non-patriots.
In 2021, Saied dissolved parliament and began ruling by decree in a move that the opposition described as a coup. Saied said his steps were legal and necessary to end years of rampant corruption among the political elite.